The Bills hired head coach Sean McDermott early in 2017 and General Manager Brandon Beane came to the team a short time later to kick off a period of roster overhaul that’s left them with just a handful of players who were on the team in 2016.
Tight end Charles Clay was released last week, which means that the team has five players from before McDermott’s time under contract for the 2019 season.
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and long snapper Reid Ferguson both signed new deals with the team recently. Running back LeSean McCoy, defensive end Jerry Hughes and defensive end Shaq Lawson are in the final years of their contracts, although the Bills could exercise their option for a fifth year on Lawson’s rookie deal.
The Bills have three other players who were with the team in 2016 headed for free agency in offensive linemen Ryan Groy, Jordan Mills and John Miller. If any of them return, the Bills would have further links to the pre-McDermott days but the trend of the last two years suggests they’ll be looking in different directions.